Attachment for cultivator tractors



v INVENToR.

H, J. lscHAAPvELD ATTACHMENT FOR CULTIVATOR'l TRACTORS- Filed oct. 1Q, 1944 Feb. 18, 1947.

- H.J. cHMPvcLo I.||| IL Feb.1s,1947.' .H.J.SCHAAPVELD 2,416,271

ATTACHMNT FOR CULTIVATOR TRACTORS Filed oct. 1o, 1944 s sheets-sheet 2 PIE-E IN VEN TOR. H.J. ScHAAPvzl-a Patented Feb. 18, 1947 ATTACHBIENT FOR CULTIVATOR TRACTORS :Henry J. Schaapveld, near West Liberty, Iowa, assignor `of one-half to Olsen, Iowa City,

Iowa

Application October 10, 1944, vSerial No. 558,095

o Claims. (Cl. 37e-180.)

l ,My present invention relates to agricultural machinery land more particularly to means for guiding lthe front wheels lof .a tractor. Its main use is in assisting in guiding the iront wheels of a `cultivator tractor.

I have found that, .particularly in contour and side-hill cultivating, vthere is a tendency for the front wheels of the .tractor to slip .down hill, resulting in the cultivator shovels, or. other implements, tearing .out the corn or vother row crops. Also, turning the front Wheels to steer the tractor so as to avoid this :trouble 'does not always 'j arm 3 'is `clivi'dled into two sections, designated :by

produce the desired result. I have also yfound that it will be understood :that the idea may have other applications, and I therefore do not wish to be limited .to this specific use of my invent-ion.

In the drawings Iannexed 'hereto and forming a part hereof,

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation' of vmy present invention as applied to a tractor which is shown in outline by broken lines;

Fig. 2 represents a front view ofthe structure shown in Fig. 1; if f 'f Fig. 3 is an enlarged v'ew of a part of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Figy3A shows the structure of Fig. 3, with the parts ina differentpositionj i Fig; f4r -illustratesfthe use of this invention in assisting in guiding the frontend of a tractor;

Fig. 5 shows ya -side'elevation oi atractor and 4 the furrow-ing implement, illustrating 'the conjoint action ofthe mechanisms for raising the furrowing shovels and the cultivator shovels simultaneously;

Fig. 6- shows a fragmentary `plan vof a part oi this structure;

Fig. 7 isa view. similar .to Fig. with the parts in a different position, and

Fig. Brepresents a cross-section substantially along the plane indicated by the line 8-'B,`Fig. 3;

Reference will rnow bel Vmade 'in greater detail to the annexed drawings 4for a more complete description of this invention. In these drawings,

a bracket I is shown as being attached to the front supporting structure of the tractor and as having arms or links 2 and 3 pivotally secured thereto and extending forwardly therefrom. The.

the numerals 3 -and- 3a. The Asections are piv` otally yconnected at 4, and this pivot member f4 connects the arms 3 and 3a so that they function together'.v A bar 5 `connects the two arms 3a @so that they function together while a bar 5a con-` nects the forward -end portions of the two bars 3. It will thus be apparentl that the sections -3 operate as a unit and that the same is true :ofthe sections '3a. The arm 3 may be formed -a-s a single unit or as two separate bars integrally joined.` It is clear'fthat the end portions of these bars `3, whether they are .separate yor joined, .should be spaced apart, as shown in Fig. .6. l

vpivot member la. It will there-fore be apparent that by ,adjusting the nut l,on the lower end of this bolt it will be possible to vary the vcompression on the spring 6. This Vwill-vary the :amount of Aforce against or resistance applied "tothe shovels, which make the guiding furrows; necessary to cause buckling ofythe joint at pivot 4 inw-case 'a :shovel should strike an obstruction. l

An eye 9 is formedat the bottom 'of feachgof the vertical arms 4Illa and in'these eyes zare, connected rods or plates 8 Whichmay hang 'down when the shovels are raised 'but which, aduring use, extend out backwardly so as to prevent undue digging in of the shovels I0, fif Ithey are not votherwise' sufficiently restrained. 'These :shovels :lxare secured lto the lower `ends `of theapproximately tion of the bar Il .lconnectingg'th'e'arms 2 for simultaneous action; A pivot member l5 passes' through the Ysections 3,a*of thelower Varms and through eyes formed' at the middle portions ofV the'vertical arms 10a, as shown most clearly 2in Fig. 1. It will therefore be'appar-ent that-if one or 4both -of the shovelsjlshouldstrke a'buried stone or a large root, the vertical arms -lilla. would swing backward about the lpivot 'ISI and cause buckling oi. 'the members 3, 3a about the pivot member 4, causing compression of "the 4spring '6. This will permit the shovels 'I0 to pass over the obstruction. However, immediately Aupon the yob. struction being cleared, .the springt will .tend to straighten the lower larms i3,f"3a,1pushing the verticalarms Illia, into 'the 'solidfline position shown in Fig 1. The amount of pressure required to bend this joint can be adjusted by regu-` lating theA compression upon the spring, as by screwingY the nut farther along the bolt 'l'or backing it up thereon.

l power from the tractor.

bythe 'two 'furrowing shovels.

The depth towhioh the shovels IIJ may Vnormally go may be adjusted by adjusting the eiective length of the chain I3. The pressure required to cause bucklingof the joint at the pivot i 4 may also be regulated by adjusting the bolts I2 bear against the upper edges of the links 3 when l the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l.

A cord or cable I4 is attached, as shown in I -the tractor.

Figs. 1 and 2, so that, whenever it is desiredto I withdrawthe shovels I U from the ground, this] l' may be readily done by pulling backward on the cord or cable I4. The conjoint action of the furrowing'shovels I and the cultivator.y shovels is illustrated in Fig. 5 where it is shown thatv the cable I4 is attached at .its rearward end to the lever by means of which the cultivator'shovels are raised and lowered and that thisattachment is so made that, when the cultivator shovels are raised, the -furrowing' shovels are raised, and vice versa. Other methods of Yoperating'the shovels are contemplated, as, for example, "by 'motive Y Another advantage of this construction lis in cross-cultivating. VIt is usual that, when corn isV cultivated in one direction, furrows are left between the rows of corn and then, when the corn is crossfcultivated'the front end of the 1 tractor: bounces badly in crossing these alternating furrows and ridges. `obviates this difficulty byipushing part of the My presentl construction earth constituting the ridges Vforwardly into the furrows so that, when the tractor Wheels'cross 3 the furrows, they do "not jump up and down because of Y these `furrows and ridges previously made, since they will have been largely removed A comparison of Figs. 1 and 3A will somewhat showV what takes place Vwhen shovels I Il strike g an obstruction, as a rock,-root; or unplowed-sod i at the 4end of the field, although this is' not i a clearrexposition'of Ythis fact since the arm Illa s'wingsfarther back, permitting the shovel I0 to slide over the obstruction.

" Fromfthisi disclosure it will be seen thatrrmy invention'is-'particularly valuable in Vcultivating i because of the fact-that it prevents Vvside-slip of thefront end of the tractor and,als0, eliminates It will of Vcoursebe understood that the specic descriptionof structure set vforth above maybe 1 departedf-rom Without departingfrom the spirit ofi-,his invention as set forth-herein and in the 1 g appended claims. Y

Y Having now described my invention,` I claim:

. ,Y "1. guiding attachment for a tractor com- Y prising, in combination, furrowing shovels, pairs of arms pivotally/carried by the front end ofthe tractor, one' pair of said arms being above the row-forming shovels adapted to form a guiding furrow in front of each ofthe Vfront wheels of 2. lA structure as defined by claim 1, provided with means for raising the furrrow-forming shovels out of contact with the ground.

3.,An attachment for a tractor, comprising a- 'i bracket to be fastenedrto the front end support f of the tractor, furrowing shovels, upper and lower armspivotally connected` to the bracket and extending forwardly therefrom, each of the lower arms being jointedand capable of folding intermediate its ends, spring lmeans vtending to hold the sections ofV said lower armsapproximately straight but capable of folding under excessive pressure against the shovels, longitudinally Lof the tractor, shovel-supporting arms each 'pivotally connected adjacent its upper end to one of the upper arms and adjacent its middle to the forward end of one of the lower arms, one of said furrowing shovels being attached to the lower end portion of each of the shovel arms, and a rearwardly'projecting armV attached to the bottom end portion of each shovel arm to hold the shovel against too deep penetration into the earths sur-V 4.A structure as deiined by rclaim 3, provided with means Vfor raising Vthe shovel-supporting arms above the ground when turning themachine at the end of the field or whenever necessary.

5. Means for assisting in the guiding of the front end ofv a cultivator tractor, comprising a ,pair of .furrow-forming shovels fory supportin front of and moderately close to the front wheels of the tractor, supporting meanssecured tothe front end of the tractor, -pairs of substantially` *Y ate part` of said vertical arms, :each of the lower Varms of said pairs of arms being jointedintermediate its ends whereby they may be caused by excessive lbackward pressure of theV shovels on the v lower endsof the verticalarms to fold, whereby to permit the shovels toV pass by anV obstruction.

f HENRY J. SCHAAPVELD.

Y REFERENCES CITEDVv s. The following references are of record in the Viile of this patent:

UNITED s'rA'rE's PATENTS t `Number Name t Y Date 2,099,637 Wendel Nov. 16, 1937 12,228,490 Smith f Jan. 14, 1941 .2,347,373 Y `silver apn-25, :i944V 

